شغْلي عن الرّبع أن أُسائلَه

شغْلي عن الرّبع أن أُسائلَه

وأن أطيلَ البُكاء في خَلَقِهْ

وأن أطيلَ البُكاء في خَلَقِهْ

I am kept from questioning the deserted dwelling,

My preoccupation from the quarters is to ask about them

My preoccupation keeps me from questioning the campsite,

And from prolonging my weeping over its decay,

And to prolong weeping in their presence

Or prolonging my weeping over its worn traces.

بالسجن والقيد والحديد وما

بالسجن والقيد والحديد وما

يُنقضُ عند القيام من حلَقِهْ

يُنقضُ عند القيام من حلَقِهْ

By prison, fetters, iron, and what

With prison, shackles, iron and what

Consumed by prison, shackles, and iron, and the sound

Clatters from its links whenever I rise.

Would be removed at the time of standing from its ring

Of rings that clank whenever I attempt to rise.

في كل لصٍّ إذا خلوتُ به

في كل لصٍّ إذا خلوتُ به

حدَّث عن جحده وعن سرَقِهْ

حدَّث عن جحده وعن سرَقِهْ

Among thieves, whenever I am alone with one,

In every thieves when I was alone with him

Surrounded by every thief who, when I am alone with him,

He tells of his denial and his theft.

He talked about his unbelief and about his theft

Speaks only of his denials and his thievery.

لو خُلقت رجله كهامته

لو خُلقت رجله كهامته

إذاً لبارى البُزاةَ في طلَقِهْ

إذاً لبارى البُزاةَ في طلَقِهْ

Had his leg been created like his head,

If his leg was created like his worry

If his feet were fashioned to match his cunning head,

He would then rival the hawks in his sprint.

Then he would have surpassed the spies in their speed

He would surely race the falcons in his escape.

بدّلت جيرانه وبِلْيته

بدّلت جيرانه وبِلْيته

في خطّ كفّ الأمير من ورَقِهْ

في خطّ كفّ الأمير من ورَقِهْ

I was made to exchange its neighbors and its decay,

I changed his neighbors and his afflictions

I have exchanged my neighbors and my ordeal

By a line from the emir's hand upon his paper.

In the line of the prince's palm from his paper

For the stroke of the Prince’s palm upon his parchment.

يا أيها السيد الهمام أبا ال

يا أيها السيد الهمام أبا ال

عباس والمستعاذُ من حَنَقِهْ

عباس والمستعاذُ من حَنَقِهْ

O valiant lord, Abu al-

O the honorable master, Abu Al-Abbas, and the one seeking refuge from his wrath

O gallant master, Abu al-Abbas,

Abbas—and you from whose wrath refuge is sought!

I mean the prince, who by his awe

You from whose wrath one seeks refuge;

أعني الأمير الذي لهيبته

أعني الأمير الذي لهيبته

يخفق قلب الرضيع في خِرَقِهْ

يخفق قلب الرضيع في خِرَقِهْ

I mean the emir, for awe of whom

The heart of the infant flutters in its wrap

I mean the Prince, for whose imposing awe

The infant's heart pounds in its swaddling rags.

The one who shows justice among his subjects

The heart of the infant trembles within his swaddle.

المظهر العدل في رعيته

المظهر العدل في رعيته

والمعتدى حلمه على نزقِهْ

والمعتدى حلمه على نزقِهْ

Who makes justice manifest among his subjects,

And the transgressor, his patience on his annoyance

He who manifests justice among his subjects,

And whose forbearance assails his rashness.

When I examined him, I saw for him

Whose clemency prevails over his sudden anger.

لما تأملته رأيت له

لما تأملته رأيت له

مجداً تضلُّ الصفات في طرقِهْ

مجداً تضلُّ الصفات في طرقِهْ

When I contemplated him, I saw he possessed

Glories in which attributes go astray in its ways

When I gazed upon him, I beheld a glory

A glory in whose paths descriptions lose their way.

I looked from his nature to the king

In whose vast paths all descriptions go astray.

نظرت من طبعه إلى ملك

نظرت من طبعه إلى ملك

يغضى حماة الشآم من خُلُقِهْ

يغضى حماة الشآم من خُلُقِهْ

Through his disposition I beheld a king,

Protectors of Damascus frown from his ethics

I saw within his nature a kingly spirit,

Whose character makes al-Sham's defenders lower their eyes.

If you do not see his bloodshed with his power

Before whose character the guardians of Syria lower their gaze.

لو ما ترى سفكه بقدرته

لو ما ترى سفكه بقدرته

كان دم العالمين في عنقِهْ

كان دم العالمين في عنقِهْ

If what you see him shed were proportionate to his power,

The blood of both worlds would be in his neck

Were it not for the blood he sheds by his power,

All mankind's blood would be upon his neck.

O you when the imam denied through him

The blood of all the worlds would hang upon his neck.

يا من إذا استنكر الإمام به

يا من إذا استنكر الإمام به

مات جميع الأنام من فرقِهْ

مات جميع الأنام من فرقِهْ

O you, when the imam grows fearsome through you,

All the people died of his separation

O you, whom if the Imam employs in his displeasure,

All humankind dies of dread of you.

Every day he moves to a work

All of mankind would perish from sheer terror.

في كل يوم يسرى إلى عملٍ

في كل يوم يسرى إلى عملٍ

في عسكر لا يُرى سوى حدقِهْ

في عسكر لا يُرى سوى حدقِهْ

Every day he travels by night to a province,

In an army that is seen only its pupils

Each day he marches forth to some great deed,

With an army whose eyes alone are visible.

The ground burns from his lightnings

Amidst an army where nothing is seen but eyes.

تشتعل الأرض من بوارقه

تشتعل الأرض من بوارقه

ناراً وتنبو السيوف عن درَقِهْ

ناراً وتنبو السيوف عن درَقِهْ

The earth blazes from its lightning-flashes,

Fire, and the swords shine from his armors

The earth ignites from the lightning of his steel

With fire, and swords glance off its shields.

The heat has affected his beauty

Into fire, and swords glance harmlessly off his shield.

قد أثّر القيظ في محاسنه

قد أثّر القيظ في محاسنه

وفاح ريح العبير من عرقِهْ

وفاح ريح العبير من عرقِهْ

The summer heat has marked his handsome features,

And the smell of musk has come out from his sweat

Though the summer heat has marked his fair features,

And perfume's fragrance has wafted from his sweat.

It is as if the sun has not visited a country

The fragrance of ambergris still wafts from his sweat.

كأنّما الشمس لم تزر بلداً

كأنّما الشمس لم تزر بلداً

في الأرض إلّا طلعتَ في أُفُقِهْ

في الأرض إلّا طلعتَ في أُفُقِهْ

As though the sun had visited no land

In the land except you have risen on its horizon

It is as if the sun never visited a land

On earth without your rising on its horizon.

Oh owner of the Emir, in the man

Upon this earth, unless you rose within its horizon.

اللَه يا ذا الأمير في رجل

اللَه يا ذا الأمير في رجل

لم تبق من جسمه سوى رمقِهْ

لم تبق من جسمه سوى رمقِهْ

For God's sake, O emir, show mercy to a man

Nothing remained of his body but his breath

For God's sake, O Prince, have mercy on a man

Of whose body you have left nothing but a remnant of life.

How much the light of dawn hoped for you tomorrow

Of whose body nothing remains but a dying breath.

كم ضوء صبح رجاك في غده

كم ضوء صبح رجاك في غده

وجنح ليل دعاك في غَسقِهْ

وجنح ليل دعاك في غَسقِهْ

How often in morning light he hoped for your help on the morrow,

And the wing of night called upon you in its darkness

How often the light of dawn hoped for you in its morrow,

And at nightfall called upon you in its gloom!

He called upon you from a whirlpool to save him

And the wing of night called out to you in its dusk.

ناداك من لجّة لتنقذه

ناداك من لجّة لتنقذه

من بعد مالا يشكُّ في غرقِهْ

من بعد مالا يشكُّ في غرقِهْ

He called to you from deep waters, that you might save him,

From drowning, of which he does not doubt in his drowning

He cried out to you from the depths to save him,

After he had no doubt that he was drowning.

When he no longer doubted he was sure to drown.